Car-signal



No Model.)

C. GALLAHAN.

GAR SIGNAL. No.1494,366. Patented Mar. 28,1893.y

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS CALLAHAN, OF CANTON, MASSACHUSETTS.,

CAR-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 494,366, dated March28, 1893.

Application iled October 3, 1892.

To aZZ whom it may con/cern.-

Be it known that I, CORNELIUS CALLAHAN, of Canton,in the county ofNorfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Alarms for Fire Apparatus, Street-Cars, dsc., of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention has relation to means for use on fire apparatus, streetcars, dac., for sounding alarms to give notice of the approach of theengine or car, so that theway or track may be made clear.

It has been common heretofore to employ gongs or bells on steam reapparatus to Warn persons of their coming, and these means, in othertimes served their purpose well enough, but since the advent of electricand cable cars which make use of like means for giving warning to clearthe Way, it has become difficult to distinguish the {ire-engine alarmgong from the warning gong of the street car.

It is the object of my invention to overcome this difficulty and toprovide tire apparatus, or it may be street cars, with' means forsounding warning noises by which they may be clearly distinguished fromother approaching objects of danger.

To these ends my invention consists of a whistle and means capable ofbeing operated by foot or by hand for forcing air into the whistle inorder to sound the same, all as I will now proceed to describe andclaim.

Reference is to be had to the annexed drawings and to the letters markedthereon, forming a part of this specification, the same lettersdesignating the same parts or features, as the case may be, whereverthey occur.

Of the drawings-Figure 1 is avertical central sectional view of theinvention, the Whistle being shown in elevation. Fig. 2 is a top planview of the same, the piston being removed. Fig. 3 is a sectional viewtaken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing the construction andarrangement of the valves'which control the ports adapted to admit airto the cylinder or chamber. Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the mannerof supporting the device beneath the foot-board or other part of theengine, car or vehicle.

In the drawings a designates the cylinder or air chamber which may be ofmetal and of the form shown, or any other suited to the purpose, andwhich may be provided with projecting lugs b for the reception of boltsc by means of which itl may be supported beneath a foot-board d orotherwise held in place at a convenient point.

e designates a piston which is given a substantially air-tight tit inthe cylinder a, being provided at its edge, if need be, with a packing fheld in a groove formed in the periphery of the piston, the latter beingat the same time constructed so as t0 be reciprocated in the cylinder.

g is a standard which may form an integral part of the bottom of thecylinder, and project up from the center of the same into the hollowstem h of the piston and assist in guiding the latter in itsreciprocatory movements.

A helical springt surrounds the standard g and bears at its lower end onthe bottom of the cylinder and at its upper end against the lowersurface of the piston, and serves to raise the latter after depression,its upward movement being limited by the inwardly-project ing flange jof the ring lo screwed upon the upper end of the cylinder.

Z Z designate ports by which air may be admitted to the interior of thecylinder, which ports are controlled by clapper valves m m which rest attheir edges on the bottom of the cylinder.

n designates an air conduit formed in a rib or swell o constituting anintegral part of the bottom of the cylinder, and p is a pipecommunicating at one end with the conduit n and at the other end with awhistle q. The pipe p while being represented in the drawings as quiteshort,'may be of any desired length so as that thecylinder and its adjuncts may be located at a point where they may be most convenientlyused, and the whistle arranged at a place Where it may best be soundedor blown.

fr' r designate ports communicating between the interior of the cylinderand the air conduit n in order that air in the cylinder may be forcedthrough the said conduit and the pipe p to blow the whistle.

A hole s extends longitudinally through the standard g and a channel tis formed in the side thereof, i so that air may not become IOO trappedin the hollow stem h or a vacuum formed therein and so prevent a freeworking of the piston.

In use, the device being properly supported, in case it is desired togive an alarm, the driver or other person may place his foot upon theknob u on the top of the hollow stem h, or upon the end of the lever@fulcrumed upon the said hollow stem (see Fig. 4), and so depress thepiston, force the air through the conduit n and pipe p to the whistle,blowing the latter, the spring 'i serving to return the piston to itsnormal position, and the valves m yielding to permit the cylinder to bequickly refilled with air.

It is to be noted that the device maybe arranged horizontally, as shown,or in inclined or other desired position.

The whistle can be formed so as to give any desired tone or peculiarsound in order that it may indicate the particular kind of object towhich it is attached.

By the invention,'it being dependent for use upon the common atmosphere,the whistle may be blown at any time, is not made dependent, as is nowthe case, upon the presence of steam.

I-Iavingthus explained the nature of theinvention and described a way ofconstructing and using the same, though without attempting to set forthall ot' the forms in which it may be made or all of the modes of itsuse7 it is declared that what is claimed is l. An alarm for fireapparatus, street cars, dto., comprising in its construction a Whistle,an air cylinder or chamber, provided with means for attaching it to anengine or other vehicle, a depressible piston, a foot-rest connectedwith the piston for depressing the same, conduit between the cylinderand Whistle, and a spring for returning the piston to normal position,as set forth.

2. An alarm for fire apparatus, street cars the., comprising in itsconstruction a whistle, an air cylinder or chamber provided with meansfor attaching it to an engine or other vehicle, a depressible piston, afoot-rest connected with the piston for depressing the same, a conduitbetween the cylinder and Whistle, a spring for returning the piston tonormal position, a fianged ring for limiting the upward movement of thepiston, and valve-controlled ports in the bottom of the said cylinder orchamber, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence ot' two subscribing witnesses, this 20th day of September, A.D. y1892.

CORNELIUS CALLAl-IAN.

Titnessesz ARTHUR W. CRossLEY, M. W. JACKSON.

